


Thunderstorms

by MissLuthorsHizzie



Category: Charmed (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Cuddling, Even though she tries to seem like a badass, F/F, Family Feels, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, OverWitch - Freeform, Sleepovers, Soft girlfriend Abby, Thunderstorms, movies - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25438825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissLuthorsHizzie/pseuds/MissLuthorsHizzie
Summary: Astraphobia: the extreme fear of thunder and lightningMel and Abby are having a typical sleepover full of family time and movies. However, when a thunderstorm suddenly interrupts the night, Mel ends up comforting a scared girlfriend and learning new things about Abby.This is a one-shot that takes place after my fanfic "Projects With the Devil." It can be read alone but would make more sense if you read the other work first.
Relationships: Abigael Jameson-Caine/Mel Vera, OverWitch
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	Thunderstorms

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nadiahilkerfan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nadiahilkerfan/gifts).



> Helloooo! I'm back, surprise! So this is another one shot in my high school AU series. This amazing prompt was given to me by Nadiahilkerfan and also the nickname AJ for Abby was created by him too, so all credit goes to him (thanks for letting me use it!) I hope you enjoy the story and please leave comments :)

Mel yawned as she grabbed the blankets from the hallway cabinet, unable to help the small drooping of her eyes. She thought her tiredness had gone unnoticed until she turned to find Abby staring at her with a knowing look, her arms crossed on her chest.

“Oh don’t get sleepy on me now, love. The night’s just getting started.” Abby pushed off the wall she was leaning against and walked towards Mel, grabbing some of the blankets from her arms with care. “Who knows what will happen once the lights are off.”

Abby’s smirk was playful as Mel chuckled at her words, leaning into her girlfriend’s front. The blankets made for an awkward position but she could still feel Abby’s warmth and smell her usual lavender scent that had begun to smell like home. 

Abby and Mel had been dating for a few months by now, going on countless dates, having many more sleepovers (obviously with the door open much to Abby’s frustration), and a lot of time for them both to fall in love even more every day. Honestly, Mel couldn’t even think of what life had been like before she’d locked eyes on Abby for the first time. It had probably been all black, white, and grey without the beautiful British girl currently smiling down at her.

“I’m awake, AJ, I promise.” Abby smiled like always at the nickname Mel had given her when they first started dating. Mel still remembered the conversation, how after one of their dates Abby had pouted at Mel and told her she didn’t want her to call her Abby anymore.

_ “Why not?” Mel had asked, slightly amused at her girlfriend’s antics. Abby looked like she was mulling over her words and trying to find the exact thing to say, so Mel let her have a moment to gather her thoughts. _

_ With a scrunch of her nose, Abby said, “Because everyone calls me Abby. Harry, your sisters, your mom, my family.” Mel’s smile dimmed at the mention of Abby’s family, the family that had treated her girlfriend so horribly. “I want you to give me a nickname, a name only you call me. It’ll be special.” _

So Mel had chosen AJ, Abby approving it with a sharp nod of her head and a smirk on those red lips. Everytime Mel used the nickname, Abby’s smile only grew brighter. 

“You better stay awake, sleepovers are meant for as little sleep as possible.” Abby sent her a wink and Mel chuckled, already used to her girlfriend’s overtly sexual comments that she never seemed to run out of. Mel still wasn't sure exactly how Abby managed to make everything sound so sinful, even when she was just talking about a documentary or dinner. 

“Oh I know I’ll stay awake cause you’ll probably be poking me every five minutes,” Mel teased as she placed a hand on Abby’s cheek and seemed to pull the girl even closer to her. Abby didn’t seem to mind at all, leaning into Mel’s warm touch as she did every time, unable to resist her girlfriend. Just as their lips were about to connect in another searing kiss, a bubbly voice suddenly interrupted them.

“Awwww, you guys are way too cute to be real.” Both girl’s turned to see Maggie watching them from the stairs, a grin on her face and phone in her hand like she had just taken a picture. Mel was smart enough to believe that Maggie probably had taken a picture of them to save for their wedding day or something (honestly she never knew with Maggie). “Anyway, Macy’s being all broody again so could you please come downstairs already so I have someone to talk to?”

Abby chuckled at the idea of Macy brooding, an evil glimmer of something sparkling behind the hazel color of her eyes. Ever since they had started dating, Abby loved to constantly tease Macy on her crush on Harry. Macy said she hated it but Mel knew better; Macy was just hiding her smiles so as not to let Abby tease her even more. It was all lighthearted really, but lately Macy had been brooding because it seemed that Harry was not getting the hint that she liked him despite her many tries.

“We’ll be right down.” Mel said, which seemed to please Maggie as her younger sister smiled and bounded down the stairs with her usual amount of excitement. It seemed that whenever the whole family and Abby were hanging out, Maggie only seemed happier which brought a smile to Mel’s face.

Abby pulled her out of her thoughts instantly as she spoke in a deadpan voice, “Your sisters are total cockblockers you know.”

Mel’s eyes went wide at Abby’s comments, seeming to lose all sense of tiredness. “AJ!” Abby just shrugged in response as if to say “it’s true,” which it kind of was. It seemed like everytime they were kissing, or sometimes even more than that, one of her sisters had to enter the room or decide to call at that exact moment. To say the least, Abby was very frustrated but didn’t mind as much as she let on. 

With an exaggerated eye roll, Mel stepped out of Abby’s space and dragged the girl down the stairs behind her. Much like most of their sleepovers, Mel was sure this one would be very eventful.

  
  
  


“Ok, so we have ‘Hereditary’ and ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love.’ Which one do you guys want?” Mel held up the movies from her position on the couch. Abby was sitting right next to her, curled into her side adorably, while Maggie sat on the other end of the couch and Macy on the floor. Mel couldn’t help but smile at Abby’s position, her body heat warm against her and she could feel every breath Abby took.

“Obviously ‘Hereditary.’ Unless Macy wants ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love,’ I’m sure we can invite Harry.” Abby held an evil grin on her face as she spoke which only made Macy scowl. Mel rolled her eyes at her girlfriend’s love for teasing. She was sure that if it was an olympic sport, Abby would win the gold.

“Well of course you would choose ‘Hereditary.’ You thrive on horror.” Macy’s eyes were narrowed as her and Abby were stuck in a staring contest. Mel huffed at her sister and girlfriend’s constant bickering, finding it adorable but also incredibly inconvenient at times. At least she knew they didn’t actually dislike each other, it was all just an act to see who would win their little game.

“Girls, girls, you’re both pretty. Now, which movie?” Macy and Abby both sighed and broke the prolonged stare down, turning towards Mel once again to pick a movie. In the end, Mel and Maggie wanted to watch “Crazy, Stupid, Love” and Macy and Abby wanted to watch “Hereditary,” much to the surprise of Abby who only sent the other girl a wicked grin. The tie-breaker ended up being Marisol, who came in only a minute later with a tray of five hot chocolates she’d prepared for all of them.

“Ummm…” Marisol started as she sat between Abby and Maggie, looking at the movies with a focused expression. “‘Hereditary.’ Horror never disappoints.” 

“Agreed.” Abby said happily, smirking as Mel went to put the movie into the DVD player. After the movie was set up, Mel walked back to the couch and curled into her girlfriend. Mel hated horror movies but at least she’d be able to cuddle with her girlfriend throughout it.

  
  
  


Thirty minutes into the movie, everything took a turn. Everyone had been enjoying the movie at different levels. Abby was laughing everytime something bad happened to the family, Macy was explaining what scientific errors the directors made, Maggie was hiding behind Marisol’s arm for most of it, Mel was just listing so many errors on the portrayal of women in the movie, and Marisol was laughing at all the teen girls around her while trying to enjoy the movie.

Suddenly, the loud booming sound of thunder echoed throughout the whole house and Mel was sure the whole neighboring area. 

Abby screeched at the sound, her scream pure fear as she suddenly burrowed into Mel’s side. Everyone turned to look at the two of them with wide eyes, especially the sight of a pale, shaking Abby half on top of Mel. Mel could practically feel the girl’s fear as she felt Abby’s fingers tightly clenching the front of her t-shirt.

“AJ? Are you ok?” Mel knew the question was dumb just from looking at the panicked look in her hazel eyes but she couldn’t help asking it.

As another boom of thunder was heard, Abby clenched her eyes shut fearfully and clung onto Mel as if her life depended on it. The blanket was twisted around her form and she was laying perfectly still besides the shaking of her body. 

Marisol, immediately understanding the situation, carefully placed a hand on Abby’s shoulder. Concern was heavily painted across her face as she neared Abby with a motherly tenderness.

“Abby, it’s ok, it’s just thunder.” Marisol’s voice was soft as she spoke and Abby slowly opened her eyes to look at the woman’s face. “Just breathe ok? In, out, in, out.”

Abby watched Marisol’s breathing and copied it, her ragged breathing becoming normal once again and her hands slowly unclenching from Mel’s t-shirt. As if sharing a bond with her, Mel began to relax as well at seeing her mom help her girlfriend overcome her nerves. 

“Badass Abby brought down by thunder?” Macy started laughing so hard she couldn't breathe, but one withering glare from Mel had her immediately freeze. Macy became silent and stared at the ground nervously, trying to control her humor at the situation.

Abby sat up and glared at Macy from her seat. “I am not scared of thunder. I am a badass.” Abby’s eyes were ablaze and her arms crossed stubbornly along her chest. Mel would have almost been convinced by the declaration if it weren’t for another clap of thunder that made Abby scream and fall back against Mel subconsciously. 

And Abby was back to shaking, her arms wrapped around Mel’s waist and her legs trapped in the blanket that was meant to cover them both. Mel’s heart swelled as she saw her girlfriend become so full of fear at the impending thunder. She felt helpless as all she could do was wrap her arms around Abby in a strong, comforting embrace. 

However, that seemed to actually help ease Abby’s fear as Abby melted into the hug and buried her face in Mel’s neck and dark hair. Mel smiled slightly into her girlfriend’s hair, smelling her lavender shampoo. 

“Hey, Abby.” Maggie had at some point gotten off the couch and was now kneeling in front of Abby and Mel, her hand tentatively coming out to land on Abby’s knee. “It’s ok if you are scared of the thunder. I’m scared of the dark, I even still sleep with a nightlight.” Oh, Maggie, forever the empath. 

Maggie’s words seemed to resonate within Abby as the girl slowly brought her face out from Mel’s neck, though her eyes were still wide and she was breathing slightly faster than normal. Her fingers were pale as one of her hands wound its way onto Mel’s arm. Mel tried to ignore the sudden throbbing in her limb from Abby’s grip and instead started stroking the back of her girlfriend’s hair comfortingly. Abby leaned into the soft touch almost immediately, finding warmth and familiarity in Mel’s touch. 

“Close contact helps with astraphobia…” Macy piped up from where she sat, trying to help in any way she could with her scientific way of thinking. That was usually how the family did things: Maggie was the empath, Macy the scientist, and Mel leading any operation. 

As the sound of thunder continued outside the house, Mel squeezed her girlfriend closer to her in hopes to comfort her. She could feel all of Abby’s body heat and shaking limbs against her own. As if sensing that was her cue, Maggie ran quickly to get more blankets to pile around the two of them. Marisol, being ever the motherly figure, scooted closer to Abby and placed an arm around her shoulders. When Maggie ran back in with piles of blankets in her arms, Abby was sandwiched tightly between Mel and Marisol and looked like she was finally getting in control of herself again. 

Smiling comfortingly, Magge carefully piled blankets on top of the three of them until they were so warm that Abby’s shaking had stopped. Maggie then sat down in front of Abby and placed a hand on her knee as if to show her she was there for her, too. Macy, seeing this, scooted closer to Abby and placed her own hand on Abby’s other knee. With the four of them surrounding her, Abby slowly began to breathe normally again and the sound of thunder in the background didn’t make her flinch and scream like before. Instead, she let a small smile slip onto her face as Mel pressed play on the movie again and she felt the warmth of all the Vera family around her. 

Abby just thought as she looked between the faces of all the women surrounding her that she had finally found a family that was willing to be there for her and comfort her in a way she had never been comforted before. 

  
  
  


It was ten AM when Mel woke up to find herself on the couch. The lights were still off in the house and no one was in sight, her family probably going to their respective rooms after they had decided to watch “Crazy, Stupid, Love” after “Hereditary” to take some of the edge off before sleeping. 

However, Mel must’ve fallen asleep sometime during “Crazy, Stupid, Love” since her memory was a bit foggy from the previous night after Abby’s panic attack. A small smile graced Mel’s features when she remembered how her family hadn’t hesitated for even a second to help Abby get through her fear. Mel was so close to her mom and sisters, them being her main support system and always being there for her, so she couldn’t be happier that they loved Abby so much and in turn Abby felt like they were a family to her as well.

As she began to fully wake up, Mel realized there was a heavy weight on her legs and chest. She looked down immediately and her heart warmed at the sight before her. Abby was laying practically on top of her, her head resting on Mel’s chest, legs entangled in her own, and arms wrapped around Mel’s waist. Abby clung to her like a teddy bear, something so adorable and the main reason Mel loved sleepovers with her girlfriend. She still remembered her surprise when Abby had slept over for the first time and Mel had woken up to Abby cuddling up to her so adorably. It was something Abby was always embarrassed about and something Mel loved to tease her for, since Abby always affirmed how she was a badass and definitely wasn’t a soft person. However, Abby’s sleep habits seemed to disprove that idea every time.

Mel took this peaceful morning moment of solitude to take in her girlfriend. Her dark hair fell around her shoulders in loose curls, the tendrils looking so soft and a bit tangled. Her skin was golden in the light coming in from the window and Mel couldn’t help but think she’d never seen Abby look so peaceful as she did now. Mel so often found Abby carrying a weight in her shoulders, in her eyes, or in her smile, but when she was sleeping she looked so carefree and even more beautiful. She couldn’t help but admire the small, happy smile on her girlfriend’s lips and the way her button nose was dug into Mel’s t-shirt. 

As if sensing Mel’s stare, Abby’s head suddenly moved as her eyes fluttered open ever so slowly and beautifully. Golden-hazel eyes locked onto Mel’s brown ones and Mel’s heart stuttered at the image before her.

“Morning, love.” Even though she knew it was just a British thing, the L word uttered from Abby’s lips always made Mel blush and feel so lightheaded in the best way.

“Morning, AJ. How’d you sleep?” Mel watched as Abby rubbed the sleep out of her eyes adorably. Oh, if Abby knew just how adorable Mel thought she was, she’d probably hiss and declare that she’d only be wearing leather and studded chokers from then on. But, yes, Mel believed her incredibly badass, seductive, and hardcore girlfriend was also incredibly adorable. 

Abby scrunched her nose and said in her posh accent, which was always thicker in the mornings when she let herself be more vulnerable, “Good, but my pillow was a little bumpy.” Mel rolled her eyes and hit Abby lightly in the shoulder as if to get revenge. “I’m kidding, you are the softest pillow I’ve ever had and also the hottest.” Abby sent her a wink and Mel had to stop the roar of laughter that threatened to bubble up in her throat so as not to wake anyone up.

Suddenly, the air seemed to thicken and get heavy between them despite Abby’s flirtatious remarks just a moment ago. Abby cleared her throat and looked at Mel with that soft look Mel thought was so rare yet so treasured. “Thank you. For yesterday.” Abby’s posh accent was thick with nerves and the slight waver in her voice made Mel’s heart clench. “No one has ever cared for me the way you and your family has. I remember when I was little and would get scared of thunderstorms...no one held me or talked me through it, my mom just ignored me. So yesterday, it felt like I actually had a family and people that loved me for me.”

Mel wanted to cry at Abby’s confession, understanding now why Abby had seemed to be so fearful of the thunder. She had never had anyone to hold her and help her get over the phobia. However, Mel pushed back the tears and let a smile onto her face.

She placed her hands on Abby’s flushed cheeks and pulled her girlfriend closer to her, finally feeling Abby’s soft lips on hers. Mel had been craving this kiss since the night before and being here in this moment felt a million times worth the wait. Abby’s lips moved against her mouth with such a passionate warmth that only came with love and intimacy and Mel felt herself smiling against the kiss immediately.

“You guys are adorable.” Both of their eyes instantly shot open and they separated as they turned to find Maggie staring at them with big heart eyes. She was in her white robe and bunny slippers and her hair was slightly ruffled like she had just gotten out of bed. Her phone was once again in her hand and pointed towards them. 

Mel gave Maggie a critical look. “How long have you been standing there?” 

Maggie giggled, shrugging her shoulders as if cutting off their little moment was no big deal. “Well, I was in the kitchen right now, but don’t worry, I got enough pictures of the two of you cuddling last night and earlier this morning.”

Mel groaned and Abby’s head immediately dropped onto Mel’s chest with resignation. It seemed that Abby had completely given up on seeming like a badass in front of her family by now, if her groaning told her anything. 

Maggie just winked at them as she walked by. “Anyway, I’ll let you two lovebirds have your moment.” 

She was gone within five seconds up the stairs and once her footsteps had become distant, Abby lifted her head once again. A frustrated expression was clear on her face and her eyes were hard as she looked at Mel.

“Like I said yesterday,” she started, her voice clearly showing her frustration, “total cockblockers.”

Mel couldn’t stop the loud laugh that bubbled out of her throat this time. She didn’t even think about anyone else, all she could focus on was her beautifully frustrated girlfriend laying on top of her and how at home they both felt in that moment.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story! This one was so much fun to write, I love writing soft Abby trying to be a badass. If anyone has any prompt requests for me with this pairing, I'll be happy to hear them. I also love reading any comments or feedback you guys have :) Anyway, see you next time!


End file.
